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Thistles and Leaves
A Warriors fanfiction by User: Snowblazehollyleafstar Hi, I hope you like my fic! Please read and review. Thanks! Allegiances ThunderClan Leader: Bramblestar (dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes) Deputy: Squirrelflight (ginger she-cat with bright green eyes) Medicine cat: Jayfeather (grey tabby tom with blind blue eyes) Warriors: Brackenfur (golden brown tabby tom) Cloudtail (long-haired white tom with blue eyes) Brightheart (ginger-and-white she cat with a torn face) Thornclaw (golden brown tabby tom) Birchfall (light brown tabby tom) Berrynose (cream-coloured tom) Hazeltail (small grey-and-white she-cat) Apprentice, Dewpaw Mousewhisker (grey-and-white tom) Lionblaze (golden tabby tom with amber eyes) Apprentice, Fernpaw Foxleap (red tabby tom) Apprentice, Amberpaw Icecloud (white she-cat) Apprentice, Snowpaw Toadstep (black-and-white tom) Rosepetal (dark cream she-cat) Briarlight (light brown she-cat with useless hind legs) Blossomfall (tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat) Bumblestripe (very pale grey tom with black stripes) Dovewing (pale grey she-cat with blue eyes) Ivypool (silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes) Apprentice, Hollypaw Cherryfall (cream-and-brown she-cat) Molewhisker (cream-and-brown tom) Queens Whitewing (white she-cat, expecting Birchfall’s kits) Poppyfrost (grey tabby she-cat, mother to Berrynose’s kits: Sorrelkit (tortoiseshell she-cat) and Firekit (ginger tom)) Apprentices Amberpaw (pale ginger she-cat with dark amber eyes) Snowpaw (white tom with blue eyes) Dewpaw (grey tom with leaf-green eyes) Hollypaw (black she-cat with green eyes) Fernpaw (light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes) Elders Purdy (old dark grey tom) Sandstorm (pale ginger she-cat with green eyes) Greystripe (long-haired grey tom with yellow eyes) Millie (grey she-cat) Dustpelt (brown tabby tom) ShadowClan Leader Rowanstar (ginger tom) Deputy Crowfrost (black-and-white-tom) Medicine cat Littlecloud (small black-and-white tom) Apprentice, Flowerpaw Warriors Toadfoot (dark brown tom) Applefur (mottled brown she-cat) Apprentice, Weaselpaw Snowbird (pure white she-cat) Tawnypelt (tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes) Owlclaw (light brown tabby tom) Scorchfur (dark grey tom) Tigerheart (dark brown tabby tom) Apprentice, Shadepaw Apprentices Flowerpaw (dark brown tabby she-cat, training to be a medicine cat) Weaselpaw (brown tom) Shadepaw (dark grey tom) WindClan Leader Onestar (pale brown tabby tom) Deputy Ashfoot (grey she-cat) Medicine cat Kestrelflight (light brown tabby tom) Apprentice, Flamepaw Warriors Crowfeather (grey-black tom) Whitetail (white she-cat) Harespring (brown-and -white tom) Heathertail (light brown she-cat) Apprentice, Honeypaw Furzepelt (grey-and-white she-cat) Apprentice, Sunpaw Apprentices Flamepaw (ginger tom with crippled leg, training to be a medicine cat) Sunpaw (dark brown she-cat) Honeypaw (ginger she-cat) RiverClan Leader Mistystar (blue-grey she-cat) Deputy Reedwhisker (brown tom) Apprentice, Redpaw Medicine cat Willowshine (golden-brown tabby she-cat) Warriors Minnowtail (dark grey she-cat) Icewing (white she-cat) Petalfur (light brown she-cat) Grasspelt (dark brown tom) Cats outside Clans Leaf (light brown she-cat) Pine (russet-brown tom) Silver (silver she-cat) Mist (light grey she-kit) Storm (dark grey tom-kit) Thistle (golden-brown tabby tom with green eyes) Mouse (dusky brown she-cat with bright green eyes) Prologue A huge sun-bleached white rock lay at the centre of a clearing in a lush green wood where every tree was full of the growth of green-leaf and berries and fruits of newleaf and leaf-fall all at once. The clearing was carpeted with grass; no leaves fell in this place. The grass was as lush and green as everything else in this strange wood. There were no birds to be seen or heard, contrary to what one might expect for such a sunny and beautiful day. The only noise was the wind gently blowing leaves from side to side; it was never strong enough to howl or whip or rip leaves from their branches, let alone branches from their trees. A large flame-coloured tom appeared from the thick bushes that surrounded the clearing, deftly weaving through them without his fur catching, a skill at which he had had much practice before he had come to this place six moons ago. He leapt deftly up onto the rock and began to groom himself, from time to time fidgeting as though waiting for something, and before long that something arrived in the form of a smaller black-and-white tom with an unusually long tail. “Firestar!” mewed the newcomer by way of greeting, and Firestar responded in kind: “Tallstar!” Tallstar joined Firestar on the rock and they settled down together, murmuring to each other. Soon two more cats arrived: a huge white tom with black paws and a spotted she-cat with amber eyes. “Blackstar, Leopardstar, what kept you?” asked Firestar. “Stonefur. He wanted to know what we were up to. I told him it was important business to do with the future of the Clans. That shut him up quickly,” Blackstar mewed in a tone of satisfaction. Leopardstar nodded. “Not that I don’t have the greatest respect for my former deputy, but he always wants to know the latest prophecies – doesn’t he know prophecies are only for important cats?” She puffed her chest out in pride at belonging to the group of “important cats” that could know about prophecies. Firestar responded reproachfully, “Stonefur is an important cat! It’s just that this particular prophecy concerns ThunderClan.” Tallstar informed Firestar that it concerned all four Clans and that everything wasn’t always about ThunderClan, to which Blackstar added: “But it is ThunderClan where we’ll send her, unfortunately. I mean, what’s wrong with ShadowClan?” Before Firestar could complete his indignant response, another cat arrived. This one was grey-and-white and looked tired. He mewed, “Sorry I’m late, but it’s a long journey.” Firestar purred and greeted the latest arrival: “Cloudstar! It’s moons and moons since I last saw you!” Cloudstar dipped his head to acknowledge that fact and mewed, “You too, Firestar. Without you I could never be here.” There were a few moments of silence, before yet another cat arrived, this one large and grey with a mud-splattered pelt. None of the others recognised him, so he introduced himself as Teller of the Pointed Stones, or Stoneteller. One last cat, incredibly old, ugly and blind, appeared, with a lumbering badger close behind him. None of the cats showed any alarm whatsoever at the badger’s appearance. “Now that we’re all finally here,” Blackstar mewed impatiently, “can we get on with it? I promised Littlecloud I’d meet him at the hill at sunhigh.” Rock nodded and intoned: “Six moons have passed since the Great Battle.” “The Clans have enjoyed peace for time,” the badger murmured. “But a new evil is rising, one that the Clans cannot defeat alone. They will need help.” Rock continued. Leopardstar asked, “Have you chosen the cat yet?” Rock snorted and asked sarcastically “Do you really think I’d have called you all here if I hadn’t?” Firestar sighed. Blackstar asked, “Would you care to actually show us?” Firestar once more sighed; Blackstar was well known to be the only cat in StarClan who could rival Rock for sarcasm. “Certainly,” mewed Rock in a tone of false politeness. “Let’s go now.” All six cats and the badger padded through the bushes to another clearing. In the centre of the second clearing was a small pool which was completely clear and seemed to be bottomless. As the seven lay down around the pool, it shimmered briefly and then resolved itself into an image of two young cats, a light brown she-cat and a russet-brown tom, sleeping peacefully under the roots of an elm tree. “I thought you would at least have chosen a Clan cat, even if it did have to be ThunderClan.” Firestar exchanged a sceptical glance with Cloudstar. It seemed even after becoming one of the best leaders ThunderClan had ever had, killing two of the evilest cats who had ever lived and spending six moons in StarClan, he was still not free of his kittypet heritage. Rock shook his head and tried not to get angry at Blackstar. “This is the cat I have chosen, and you will not argue with me.” Blackstar dipped his head, acknowledging that this was Rock’s decision. “We must tell the medicine cats. Bright leaves can halt darkness.” Each cat and the badger nodded their consent to these plans and dispersed. When the group had all left the pool shimmered and became clear once more, as if nothing had happened. Red lay down, exhausted after another long day’s travelling; most likely in completely the wrong direction. She was far too lost to know or to have any chance of finding out where she was or where she was going. She felt more tired than she had been before in her last moon of wandering. Maybe too much walking was taking its toll. But it couldn’t possibly be any worse than what she was running away from. She had been happy, once, six moons ago. She had had two little kits and a loving mate, but then a fox had killed her mate, Bracken. She’d kept going for two moons and tried to look after and protect her kits alone. Then Thistle had come. Thistle, so handsome, so brave, so perfect. He’d stayed with her for a moon. Her little she-kit, Leaf, had taken an instant dislike to him and Pine, the tom, had agreed. It was three moons ago he’d asked her to be his mate and to live with him. She’d wanted to do it so much it hurt. But Thistle had refused to take the kits. How could she make an impossible choice like that? She’d deliberated, considering everything she could do. It was so much hard work to look after the kits on her own, and it hurt being trapped here with nothing but memories of Bracken, and Leaf looked so much like her father it hurt just looking at her. On the other hand, she had knew she couldn’t just leave the kits; except they were then nearly three moons old and able to look after themselves; Pine had been a good hunter even then and Leaf was fast catching up. She’d gone with him. How could she not, in the end? But it had been the worst decision she’d ever made, and she knew that now, now she knew what Thistle was. He was no cat, he was a monster. She’d been so terrified that for a moon the only thought in her head was that she had to get away from him. That was when she remembered her kits. And it was at the moment when she thought of her kits that the blinding realisation hit her. The realisation that made her feel so awful, she couldn’t imagine it. Had she thought having a living memory of Bracken was bad? Now she was about to have a living memory of Thistle. She was expecting Thistle’s kits. Chapter One Leaf Leaf yawned and stretched in the den amongst the elm-roots where she slept with her brother Pine. She slowly got to her paws and padded out, weaving between the familiar roots in her practiced manner, noting as she did so that the gap between two of the roots was now almost too small for her; she was growing. As she emerged from the den she saw Pine relaxing in the early morning sunshine. “Morning, lazy-paws!” She glared at him, although her eyes were glinting playfully. She mewed “Lazy? Who are you calling lazy? You’re the one who went to sleep before sunset last night!” He hissed “Take that back!” She knew her lines; they enacted this playful drama every few days. “Over my dead body, you pile of fox dung!” she mewed, trying not to laugh. He looked to be in a similar position, if the silent convulsions running down his spine and the twitching tail were anything to go by. “That can be arranged. Oh, and please stop insulting me, you mouse-brained…” he struggled to think of a suitable insult, “um…” Leaf giggled briefly and suggested, “Furball?” He nodded and responded, “Thanks. Please stop insulting me, you mouse-brained furball!” She rolled her eyes and growled, “Never!” Pine hissed and mewed firmly, “Then prepare to die.” And he leapt at her. She snarled and tried to throw him off but he had already pinned her down and he was so much stronger and heavier than her that she was unable to throw him off. “Surrender now!” “Hmm… I wonder… I think… perhaps not. So there.” She breathed in, wriggled a little and kicked up, pushing her brother away and getting to her paws before turning and running. “Hey!” called Pine, “Not fair! Running away is against the rules!” She laughed and yelled, “Not any more! Catch me if you can!” Pine raced after his sister, but with her lighter weight, she had the advantage of speed and reached the woods well before he did. She weaved through the trees as quickly as she could, and then suddenly skidded to a halt, because standing directly in front of her, blocking her path, was a large flame-coloured tom. Leaf was surprised by that – they very rarely saw other cats, and usually those were only passing through. The last one who had stayed was the golden-brown tom she had so distrusted, just before her mother left. But she didn’t have time to ask questions now – she needed to pass before Pine caught up with her. “Excuse me, do you mind if I come past?” Silence. It was at that moment that Leaf noticed the stars in the tom’s fur and realised this wasn’t just an ordinary cat. “What do you want?” Silence. Leaf was torn between curiosity about who this cat was, frustration that he wouldn’t speak and worrying that Pine would catch up with her. “Look, if you’ve got something to say to me then say it, if you haven’t then get out of my way!” He nodded and then – he vanished. Leaf blinked, wondering what had just happened.